The Syrian opposition’s Negotiations Committee stressed the need to fully implement UN Security Council resolution 2254 which called for immediate halt to bombardment, the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need, and the formation of a transitional governing body with full executive powers.

The Committee issued a press release on Wednesday to draw attention to the Assad regime’s relentless bombardment and tightened siege on the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta.

The brutal bombardment that has been targeting the towns and villages of eastern Ghouta over the last three weeks, using toxic gases, especially the poisonous chlorine, cluster bombs and conventional ammunition has led to the death of 180 civilians including women and children and inured dozens more,” the Committee said.

The Committee underscored that the Assad regime’s ferocious onslaught on eastern Ghouta has once again shown that the Assad regime is unwilling to engage in negotiations; is not interested in any political solution; and seeks to undermine all chances of reaching a political solution.

The Committee pointed out that about 400,000 civilians in eastern Ghouta have been subjected to tightened siege by regime forces and the Iranian-backed militias since late 2012.

The Committee slammed the international community’s failure to take action to save the lives of civilians trapped in eastern Ghouta and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid in line with the UN Security Council resolutions. It noted that the people in eastern Ghouta are subjected to relentless bombardment and tightened siege and are at risk of death in bombardment and of starvation.

The barbaric behavior of the Assad regime is a reflection of the inaction of the international community which stands idly by watching the killing, siege and displacement for nearly seven years, the Committee added.

“We want to draw the attention of the international community to the dangers of attempts by the Assad regime to sabotage the political process and undermine its chances. We also warn of the consequences of the Assad regime’s exploitation of the dubious silence of the international community which has not lifted a finger towards the dozens of crimes the Assad regime has committed in recent weeks and the massacres committed against the Syrians for the past seven years.

“The international community is facing a crucial turning point and should move seriously to deter the regime from committing its crimes and holding the perpetrators accountable along with saving the political process in line with the Geneva Communique of 2012 and the relevant UN resolutions. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)